National Geographic: A fading culture adapts to the changing times
Here is Meet the North’s next National Geographic story.
With each new border and political shift, the indigenous women of Chukotka, Russia adjust to maintain their heritage and survive.
Read about how they survive through my words and Eric’s photos.
“We were eating more than I thought possible, including jellied whale casserole and fresh apricot buns, while Elizaveta Dobrieva’s family explained that their ancestors descended from the polar bear and the killer whale. Then Elizaveta disappeared into the back room of her apartment in Lavrentiya, Chukotka, and came back cradling a dark wooden carving. Its eyes slanted down to a long nose, and many thin vertical lines extended below the chin. Elizaveta told me that the lines represent tattoos and indicate that this figure is a woman. ‘This is the keeper of our clan,’ she said, ‘her name is Yiakunneun.'”
